The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Pic/Satej Shinde
Like plovers do
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A flock of sand plovers takes flight in unison as a man walks past them on Juhu Beach.
Planet before you miss it
Astronomy enthusiasts at a previous skygazing event at the Centre in Worli
Keep your head up this week, your planets are all set to align. That wasn’t your horoscope prediction; it’s how astronomers suggest you catch the planetary parade, a phenomenon where some or all planets of the Solar System align to give skygazers a picture-perfect view. “Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are the planets that are set to move into the arch that will be visible after sunset. While Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn can be spotted by the naked eye, telescopes will help enthusiasts spot Uranus and Neptune as and when they enter the arc. The phenomenon can be spotted for at least a month starting from January 25 (today),” shared Umesh Kumar Rustagi, director, Nehru Science Centre in Worli. The Centre will host special sky observation camps to help Mumbaikars soak in the celestial magic. “It might be the perfect time to catch glimpses of the changing phases of Venus or the satellites of Jupiter,” he added.
Those interested, can log on to @nehrusciencecentremumbai for the schedule.
Time to Tiësto
Dutch DJ Tiësto in performance. Pic Couresy/Wikimedia Commons
It’s nothing short of a homecoming for Dutch Grammy Award-winning DJ and music producer Tijs Michiel Verwest aka Tiësto, who will return to woo Mumbai crowds in Goregaon on February 14, a decade after his last performance in the city. Early adopters of Electronic Dance Music (EDM) in the city will recognise Verwest as the pioneer of the genre before it branched out into uncountable sub-genres and styles. “We are bringing Tiësto to get audiences in their late 20s and 30s back to the dance floor with a large-format concert. In the past few years, electronic music concerts have increasingly become more teenager-centric with techno and commercial acts getting the spotlight. With Tiësto, we can rest assured that fans of all ages will have a good time,” shared Manuj Agrawal, CEO, EVA Live. While exclusive debit and credit card holders get early access to the tickets on January 27, the general sale will kick off on January 29 at 4 pm. Those keen on revisiting their love for EDM just in time for Valentine’s Day can head to @evalive.in for more details.
Celebrating life at Kala Ghoda
Usha Uthup, Milind Soman and Brinda Miller
The silver jubilee edition of the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival this year comes with a shiny surprise. A new lifestyle segment will debut alongside familiar segments like art, theatre, dance and walks that attract Mumbaikars to the festival every year. “Mental wellness, yoga, fashion, textile — these are subjects that excite audiences across age groups, but struggle to fit into the existing segments. The silver jubilee seemed like the right occasion to make space for these programmes,” shared Brinda Miller (inset), honorary chairperson, Kala Ghoda Association. The programming encompasses a saree draping workshop at the YWCA, a zumba session at the Elphinstone College quadrangle, a DJing workshop hosted by popular musician DJ Suketu, a laughter therapy session with doctors-turned-humorists Dr Anil Abraham and Dr Tushar Shah in addition to talks by familiar personalities like Usha Uthup, actors Vinay Pathak and Fatima Sana Shaikh, and fitness advocate Milind Soman. Whether Soman will join the celebratory spirit by popping out of a gift box and giving us a nostalgic flashback, that remains to be seen.
Literature of the people, for the people
(From left) Brinda Karat; a pocketbook copy of the Constitution of India; the festival venue in Kozhikode. Pics/Shriram Iyengar
From crowds of GenZers, to copies of Das Kapital placed beside Sudha Murty’s novels, this diarist noticed that the Kerala Literature Festival had many quaint paradoxes. Not one was Communist Party of India (Marxist) functionary Brinda Karat, visiting for a quick tete-a-tete on the second day of the fest at Kozhikode. “Oh, this is my second home. I spent many years here,” she shared. Praising the crowd, Karat told us, “Literature has to be among the people, and for them to be effective.” When we recalled recently walking another literary lane with Shabana Azmi in Madanpura, Karat echoed, “Of course, Shabana grew up in the Commune — the common living facilities for members of the Communist Party of India — with Kaifiji (Kaifi Azmi) as a member. She knows the power of literature as a voice.” Almost echoing her words, this diarist found an illustrated pocketbook copy of the Constitution of India, and the Preamble inscribed on a writing pad as part of the delegate kit. The writer’s pad comes with illustrations by artist Riyas Komu as well. As they say, you know you are in Kerala when the likes of Che Guevara and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar are splashed across as street graffiti.
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